By South China Morning Post | Created at 2025-01-14 12:23:13 | Updated at 2025-01-14 23:37:33
11 hours ago
The Nato military alliance said on Tuesday it was launching a Baltic Sea monitoring mission following the suspected sabotage of undersea cables in recent months.
Several undersea telecoms and power cables have been severed in the region, with experts and politicians accusing Russia of orchestrating a hybrid war against the West as the two sides square off over Ukraine.
At a meeting on Tuesday in Helsinki of Nato members on the Baltic Sea, Nato chief Mark Rutte said that the “Baltic Sentry” mission would “involve a range of assets, including frigates and maritime patrol aircraft, among others, and will enhance our vigilance in the Baltic.”
Rutte added that he would not share details on the exact number of vessels “because that might differ from one week to another” and that he did not wish to make “the enemy any wiser than he or she is already.”
A statement from Nato specified that the operation would “continue for an undisclosed amount of time”.
There have been three instances of suspected sabotage of underwater power lines, data cables and a gas pipeline over the past 15 months in the Baltic Sea, with ship anchors tearing the infrastructure from the seabed.
